An apparatus for thermochemical treatment of crushed straw and dry fodder mixtures is known comprising a vessel provided with loading and unloading openings and pipes for feeding steam and chemical solutions. In such apparatus the vessel comprises a horizontally extending cylindrical casing rotatable about a horizontal axis. For that purpose, the vessel is provided with rolls accommodated in guides embracing the vessel. The vessel is rotated by a drive after a pre-set quantity of straw or dry fodder mixture or both is loaded therein and steam and chemical solutions are fed to the vessel.
Also known are other apparatus in which vessels are stationary and provided with stirrers. The stirrer starts operating only after a pre-set quantity of e.g. crushed straw is loaded into the vessel. However, in the above-described and other apparatus, thermochemical treatment is conducted with large volumes and during a long time period. In addition, much time is spent loading and unloading the vessels thus considerably reducing the output of the apparatus.
The large size of such apparatus requires much metal for construction, they occupy large areas, are complicated in operation and require a large operating staff.